Loop presser, flatbed knitting machine having loop presser, and fabric knitting method using loop presser

ABSTRACT

An object of the invention is to improve yarn feeding conditions to a knitting needle and improve a loop pressing function and a yarn holding function for end stitches in a flat knitting machine provided with a compound needle. In a top portion  12  of a loop presser  11  advancing to a tooth mouth  10 , a knitting yarn holding portion for end stitches  13  and a loop presser portion  14  are formed. The knitting yarn holding portion for end stitches  13  hides a tongue  25   a  from the yarn  22  at a wall portion  15  above the knitting yarn holding portion for end stitches  13  so that the problem of yarn entanglement that the yarn  22  fed to a hook  24   a  of the compound needle  23  from a yarn feeding port  20  is surmounted on the tongue  25   a  may be solved. A pressing portion  16  below the knitting yarn holding portion for end stitches  13  presses the yarn  22 . The knitting yarn holding portion for end stitches  13  holds the yarn  22  outside the end stitch by winding it around it. The loop presser portion  14  presses the yarn  22  during the knitting. While hiding the tongue  25   a  of the needle  23  of the end stitch at the wall portion  15 , the yarn  22  can be guided into the hook  24   a  reliably by causing the loop presser portion  14  of another loop presser  11  to act.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a loop presser that presses a knittingstitch loop during knitting with a flat knitting machine, a flatknitting machine provided with the loop presser and a method for makinga knitted fabric using the loop presser.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally in a flat knitting machine, a latch needle 1 as shown inFIG. 15 is used as a basic knitting needle. The latch needle 1 has ahook 1 a at the top, and a knitting operation is performed in which aknitting stitch loop is formed while opening or closing the hook 1 a byswinging and displacing the latch 1 b with a rivet 1 c as its center.

FIG. 15(1) shows a state in which after a ready-made knitting stitchloop 2A is formed with a knitting yarn, the latch needle 1 is lifted sothat the latch 1 b is opened by the knitting stitch loop 2A from aninner side of the hook 1 a. FIG. 15(2) shows a state in which the latchneedle 1 is lifted to the uppermost position, and an old knitting stitchloop 2A is moved so as to be positioned lower than the latch 1 b, andthen the latch needle 1 starts to come down, and a knitting yarn issupplied to the hook 1 a to form a new knitting stitch loop 2B. FIG.15(3) shows a state in which the latch needle 1 has come down, and thelatch 1 b is closed by the knitting stitch loop 2A when the latch 1 bhas passed through the portion of the old knitting stitch loop 2A. FIG.15(4) shows a state in which the latch needle 1 reaches the lowermostposition, and the old knitting stitch loop 2A passes from the closedlatch 1 b to the outside of the hook 1 a and a knockover is generated,and thus a new knitting stitch loop 2B is formed.

In the basic knitting with the latch needle 1, the operations (1) to (4)are repeated. Therefore, it is necessary to move the latch needle upwardand downward by a stroke S1 between the uppermost position where thehook 1 a is higher than the state shown in (2) and the lowermostposition shown in (4). The top of the latch 1 b draws a locus 1 d shownin FIG. 15(2), so that when a knitting yarn is supplied inside the locus1 d, a knitting stitch loop can be formed between the hook 1 a and thelatch 1 b when the latch 1 b is closed as shown in FIG. 15(3).

In a flat knitting machine, a compound needle 3 as shown in FIG. 16 isused as well. The compound needle 3 serves as a knitting needle, using aneedle main body 4 and a slider 5. A hook 4 a is formed on the top ofthe needle main body 4, and a tongue 5 a is formed on the top of theslider. The needle main body 4 and the slider 5 can move independentlyin the vertical direction of the drawing, and the relative movement ofthe slider 5 with respect to the needle main body 4 can open and closethe hook 4 a with the tongue 5 a. The configuration of the flat knittingmachine using such a compound needle 3 is disclosed in Japanese PatentNo. 3085657 by the applicant.

FIG. 16(1) shows the state in which after a ready-made knitting stitchloop 2A is formed with a knitting yarn, the needle main body 4 islifted, and the hook 4 a is apart from the tongue 5 a of the slider 5 sothat the needle hook for holding the knitting stitch loop 2A is opened.FIG. 16(2) shows a state in which the needle main body 4 is lifted tothe uppermost position, and an old knitting stitch loop 2A is moved soas to be positioned in the tongue 5 a, and then the needle main body 4starts to come down, and a knitting yarn is supplied to the hook 4 a toform a new knitting stitch loop 2B. FIG. 16(3) shows a state in whichthe needle main body 4 has come down, the tongue 5 a holds the oldknitting stitch loop 2A and the needle hook is closed. FIG. 16(4) showsa state in which the needle main body 4 and the slider 5 reach thelowermost position, and the old knitting stitch loop 2A passes from theclosed tongue 5 a to the outside of the hook 4 a and a knockover isgenerated, and thus a new knitting stitch loop 2B is formed.

In the case of a flat knitting machine having the compound needle 3, themovement of the slider 5 having the tongue 5 a on its top that is apartfrom or in contact with the hook 4 a to open or close the needle hookdoes not draw the locus 1 d of arc movement such as the latch 1 b of thelatch needle 1, but draws a linear locus 3 a. Therefore, an advance andretreat stroke S2 of the needle main body 4 can be small, so that thesize of the flat knitting machine can be reduced and high productivitycan be obtained.

In order to increase the productivity with the flat knitting machine, aloop presser that presses knitting stitch loops during knitting can beused. The applicant discloses the configuration of a flat knittingmachine in which a loop presser is mounted in Japanese Patent No.3044373. FIGS. 5 to 8 of this patent publication disclose theconfiguration in which a loop presser for pressing a knitting stitchloop latched by a latched needle and a yarn guide for pressing down aknitting yarn suspended from a yarn feeding port to the latch needlewith a yarn pressing portion and guiding the knitting yarn to a positionat which the hook of the latch needle can hold the knitting yarn areprovided. FIGS. 13 and 14 disclose the configuration in which a looppressing portion of the loop presser is advanced to a side end portionof a knitted fabric, and end stitches are made while the knitting yarnextending from the last formed knitting stitch loop to the yarn feedingport is pressed. Such a function can be regarded as a yarn guidingfunction for the end stitches. Furthermore, FIG. 15 and the followingdrawings disclose the configuration in which the yarn guiding functionalso is served by a loop presser as a “best mode example”. In this bestmode example, one loop presser presses a knitting stitch loop and feedsa yarn to the hook, and even in the case of the compound needle, stableyarn feeding conditions can be obtained.

As described above, in the compound needle 3, as shown in FIG. 16, thenecessary stroke is smaller than in the latch needle 1 shown in FIG. 15,so that the productivity can be increased. However, opening/closing thehook 4 a of the compound needle 3 is performed by the movement thatdraws the linear locus 3 a as described above, and therefore the yarnfeeding conditions are stricter than in the latch needle 1. When thebest mode example disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3044373 is used, itis expected that stable yarn feeding conditions can be obtained even forthe compound needle.

The yarn guiding function for end stitches disclosed in Japanese PatentNo. 3044373 is performed using the same portion of the top portion ofthe loop presser as used for the loop pressing function. It is notparticularly considered to make a portion exclusively for the yarnguiding function for end stitches. The carriage that controls theknitting movement of the knitting needle is provided with a plurality ofsets of systems constituted by cam locks, and when the carriage travelsonce in a longitudinal direction of a knitting bed, a plurality ofcourses can be knitted. It is selected in one needle selecting portionprovided corresponding to each system for knitting whether or not theloop presser is to be operated, and the cam route in which the looppresser passes is controlled by a solenoid, so that switching whetheronly the loop pressing function is operated or the loop pressingfunction and the yarn guiding function are operated is performed. Forthis reason, the loop presser used during knitting one course passesalways in the same cam route.

In a case where a knitted fabric is knitted with the compound needle,the following problem may be caused. In the side end portion of theknitted fabric that becomes a folded portion of the knitted fabric, theknitting yarn is surmounted on the slider of the knitting needle whenfeeding the yarn to the knitting needle for the start of knitting forthe next course, and this knitting yarn cannot be held by the needlehook (hereinafter, this problem is referred to as “yarn entanglement”).The problem of yarn entanglement in end stitches may be caused by thefollowing factors.

The position of the knitting yarn at the time of feeding the yarn is notprecisely determined partly because the position of the yarn feedingport provided on the top of the yarn carrier is not appropriatelyadjusted, or the yarn carrier does not work due to a long time use. In acase where so-called multiple yarn knitting using bundled knitting yarnsis performed, the knitting yarn is particularly easily surmounted on theslider, because the knitting yarn is flattened and extended at the pointwhen the knitting yarn is in contact with the knitting needle.Furthermore, when the tension applied to the knitting yarn is weak, theknitting yarn is easily dislocated and easily surmounted on the slider.The problem is caused especially when the knitting needle for knittingat the end of the course is the same needle that for knitting at thestart of the next course such as plain stitch or rib stitch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a loop presser that canimprove the yarn feeding conditions to a knitting needle and improve theloop pressing function and the yarn guiding function to end stitches ina flat knitting machine provided with a compound needle including aneedle main body and a slider as a knitting needle, a flat knittingmachine provided with the loop presser and a method for making a knittedfabric using the loop presser.

It is another object of the invention to provide a loop presser that canprevent the problem of yarn entanglement in which a knitting yarn issurmounted on the slider with a knitting needle for end stitches and canguide the knitting yarn into the needle hook when a compound needle isused by switching with needle selection patterns or the like, a flatknitting machine provided with the loop presser and a method for makinga knitted fabric using the loop presser.

The invention provides a loop presser in a flat knitting machinecomprising at least a pair of needle beds in the front and the back inwhich a tooth mouth is formed such that the front and back needle bedsare opposed to each other in a form of an angle such that top sides areoriented upward. A compound needle is provided in each needle bed as aknitting needle, in a process of making a knitting yarn fed from a yarnfeeding port traveling in a longitudinal direction of the needle bedabove the tooth mouth into a knitting stitch loop to form a knittedfabric that is suspended downward, the loop presser being capable ofadvancing and retracting its top portion from an auxiliary bed supportedon at least one of the front and back needle beds with respect to thetooth mouth and having a function of pressing the knitting stitch loopthat is made. The top portion is in different positions in the advancingand retracting direction a loop presser portion having the function ofguiding the knitting yarn fed from the yarn feeding port to the knittingneedle and pressing the knitting stitch loop between the knittingneedles on a lower side. A knitting yarn holding portion for endstitches serves a function of holding a knitting yarn fed from above thetooth mouth in the outside of a knitting end of a knitted fabric in awidth direction. The knitting yarn holding portion has a pressingportion for pressing the knitting yarn suspended from the knittingstitch loop held by the compound needle in the knitting end to the yarnfeeding port moving toward the outside of the knitted fabric on thelower side, and a wall portion preventing the knitting yarn fed from theyarn feeding port moving toward the inside of the knitted fabric byreversing the moving direction to the compound needle in the knittingend from approaching a tongue top in a state where a hook is open on anupper side.

The invention is characterized in that the knitting yarn holding portionis nearer on a top side of the advancing and retracting direction thanthe loop presser portion.

The invention is characterized in that the knitting yarn holding portionhas a recess on which a knitting yarn made of multiple yarns that areformed with a bundle of a plurality of fine yarns are converged on itslower side.

Furthermore, the invention provides a flat knitting machine comprisingthe loop presser of any one of the above-described loop pressers. A looppresser mechanism advances to and retracts from the top portionaccording to a predetermined locus so as to guide the knitting yarn fedfrom the yarn feeding port passing through a position of the compoundneedle for making a knitted fabric to a position where the knitting yarncan be held by a hook of the compound needle and press a knitting stitchloop which is knitted by the pressing portion. A knitting yarn holdingmechanism for end stitches makes the knitting yarn hold so as to advancethe knitting yarn holding portion to the tooth mouth on the side beforethe compound needle used at first in knitting in knitting a knitted end,reversing a traveling direction of a yarn and starting knitting a nextcourse, presses the knitting yarn suspended from the compound needle inwhich the knitting end is knitted to the yarn feeding port on the lowerside of the knitting yarn holding portion of the loop presser until theyarn feeding port passes through a position of the compound needle, andfeeds the knitting yarn to the compound needle used at first in knittingfrom the upper side of the the knitting yarn holding portion. After theyarn feeding port passes through the compound needle used at first inknitting, the loop presser mechanism and the knitting yarn holdingmechanism cooperate so as to prevent the knitting yarn fed to thecompound needle used at first in knitting by guide by the loop presserportion of the loop presser that is advanced to and retracted from bythe loop presser mechanism is prevented, from approaching a tongue topin a state where a hook is open by the wall portion on the upper side ofthe knitting yarn holding portion of the loop presser that is advancedto and retracted from by the knitting yarn holding mechanism.

The invention is characterized in that the auxiliary bed in which theloop presser advances and retracts is open downward on a base end sideof the advancing and retracting direction. The loop presser has a buttprojected upward the flat knitting machines further comprises aselecting mechanism that is opposed to the base end portion of the looppresser below the open portion of the auxiliary bed and attracts thebase end portion and can release the attraction selectively. A cammechanism has a function as the loop presser mechanism or the knittingyarn holding mechanism selectively, in which a cam groove that isengaged with the butt above the auxiliary bed and drives the butt to bedisplaced in the advancing and retracting direction is formed. The cammechanism can switch to the function either as the loop pressermechanism or the knitting yarn holding mechanism by selecting the camgroove engaged with the butt by releasing attraction to the base endportion of the loop presser with the selecting mechanism.

The invention is characterized in that the cam groove of the cammechanism has generally a symmetrical shape with respect to a centralline parallel to the advancing and retracting direction of the looppresser so that the top portion of the loop presser draws the same locusat the time of knitting on one side of the longitudinal direction of aneedle bed as that at the time of knitting on the other side. Theselecting mechanism is positioned in a position opposed to the centralline of the cam mechanism and positions that are the same distance awayfrom the position opposed to the central line on one side and the otherside of the needle bed.

Furthermore, the invention provides a method for making a knitted fabricusing a loop presser in a flat knitting machine comprising at least apair of needle beds in the front and the back in which a tooth mouth isformed such that the front and the back needle beds are opposed to eachother in a form of an angle such that top sides are oriented upward. Acompound needle is provided in each needle bed as a knitting needle, ina process of making a knitting yarn fed from a yarn feeding porttraveling in a longitudinal direction of the needle bed above the toothmouth into a knitting stitch loop to form a knitted fabric that issuspended downward. The loop presser is capable of advancing andretracting its top portion from an auxiliary bed supported on at leastone of the front and back needle beds with respect to the tooth mouthand has a function of pressing the knitting stitch loop that is made.The method comprises forming in the top portion of the loop presser indifferent positions in the advancing and retracting direction, a portionhaving the function of guiding the knitting yarn fed from the yarnfeeding port to a position where the knitting yarn can be held by a hookof the compound needle and pressing the knitting stitch loop between theknitting needles on the lower side, and a portion serving a knittingyarn holding function for end stitches of holding a knitting yarn fedfrom above the tooth mouth in the outside of a knitting end of a knittedfabric in the width direction,

-   -   switching the loop presser function or the knitting yarn holding        function by switching the position to which the top portion of        the loop presser is advanced to the tooth mouth,    -   making the knitting yarn hold so as to advance the portion        serving the knitting yarn holding function in the top portion of        the loop presser to the tooth mouth on the side before the        compound needle used at first in knitting in knitting a knitted        end, reversing a traveling direction of a yarn and starting        knitting a next course, pressing the knitting yarn suspended        from the compound needle in which the knitting end is knitted to        the yarn feeding port on the lower side of the portion serving        the knitting yarn holding function until the yarn feeding port        passes through a position of the compound need, and feeding the        knitting yarn to the compound needle used at first in knitting        from the upper side of the portion serving the the knitting yarn        holding function, and    -   after the yarn feeding port passes through the compound needle        used at first in knitting, making the loop presser cooperate so        as to advance another loop presser to the tooth mouth and        prevent the knitting yarn fed to the compound needle used at        first in knitting by guide by the portion serving the loop        presser function, from approaching a tongue top in a state where        a hook is open by an upper side of the loop presser that        advances the portion serving the knitting yarn holding function        to the tooth mouth serving as a wall.

The invention is characterized in that the portion serving the knittingyarn holding function has a recess on the lower side, and knitting isperformed while converging a knitting yarn made of multiple yarns thatare formed with a bundle of a plurality of fine yarns on the recess.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other and further objects, features, and advantages of the inventionwill be more explicit from the following detailed description taken withreference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial side view showing a state in which a function isswitched between a function of holding a knitting yarn for end stitchesand a loop presser function with a loop presser 11 that is oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross sectional side view showing a schematicconfiguration of a flat knitting machine using the loop presser 11 ofthis embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the contour of the loop presser 11 of thisembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a sight-through view showing the configurations of a cammechanism 36 for operating the loop presser 11 and a compound needle 23and a cam mechanism 50 for knitting in this embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a sight-through view showing loci of the traveling of thebutts of the loop presser 11 and the compound needle 23 in thisembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a simplified plan view showing the height of a cam plane inthe cam mechanism 36 in this embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a view showing an advance state of the loop presser 11 at theposition D of FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 8 is a view showing an advance state of the loop presser 11 at theposition E of FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 9 is a view showing an advance state of the loop presser 11 at theposition F of FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 10 is a view showing an advance state of the loop presser 11 at theposition G of FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 11 is a view showing an advance state of the loop presser 11 at theposition H of FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 12 is a view showing an advance state of the loop presser 11 at theposition I of FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 13 is a view showing an advance state of the loop presser 11 at theposition J of FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 14 is a partial side view showing the state in which a function isswitched between a function of holding a knitting yarn for end stitchesand a loop presser function with a loop presser 71 that is anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a view showing a knitting operation with a latch needle; and

FIG. 16 is a view showing a knitting operation with a compound needle.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Now referring to the drawings, preferred embodiments of the inventionare described below.

FIG. 1 shows a shape of a top portion 12 of a loop presser 11 that isadvanced in a tooth mouth 10 of a flat knitting machine that is oneembodiment of the invention. The loop presser 11 is formed of a metalplate, and in the top portion 12, a knitting yarn holding portion 13 forend stitches and a loop presser portion 14 are provided in differentpositions. The loop presser 11 can advance and retract the top portion12 to the tooth mouth 10. Regarding the advancing and retractingdirection, the knitting yarn holding portion 13 for end stitches isprovided nearer to the end side than a loop presser portion 14.

FIG. 1(a) shows a state in which the knitting yarn holding portion 13for end stitches is positioned in the tooth mouth 10, and FIG. 1(b)shows a state in which the loop presser portion 14 is positioned in thetooth mouth 10. The knitting yarn holding portion 13 for end stitcheshas a shape including a wall portion 15 on an upper side and a pressingportion 16 on a lower side. The loop presser portion 14 has a shapeincluding two loop pressing portions 17 and 18 on the lower side and ayarn guide portion 19 therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), above the tooth mouth 10, a yarn feeding port 20is provided in the top of the yarn carrier 21 to feed a knitting yarn 22to the tooth mouth 10. The tooth mouth 10 is opposed to the top of frontand back needle beds provided in the flat knitting machine. Each needlebed is inclined such that the side of the tooth mouth 10 is lifted, andthe side shape is an angle. In each needle bed, compound needles 23 arearranged as multiple knitting needles. The compound needle 23 of one ofthe front and the back needle beds is shown by an alternate long andshort dash line, and the compound needle 23 of the other needle beds isshown by a broken line. In each needle bed, the compound needle 23 isreciprocated and displaced in a needle groove formed in a predeterminedpitch to advance and retract its top side to the tooth mouth 10. Thecompound needle 23 is basically the same as the compound needle 3 shownin FIG. 16, and is constituted by a needle main body 24 and a slider 25.A hook 24 a is formed on the top of the needle main body 24, and atongue 25 a is formed on the top of the slider 25.

FIG. 1(a) shows a state in which the compound needle 23 shown by thealternate long and short dash line reaches an end stitch, the yarncarrier 21 is moved from a far side of the drawing to a nearer side, aknitting stitch loop 26 in one course is made, knitting in the nextcourse is started, and the knitting yarn holding portion 13 for endstitches of the loop presser 11 is advanced onto the nearer side thanthe compound needle 23. When the yarn feeding port 20 is stillpositioned before the knitting yarn holding portion 13, the knittingyarn 22 suspended from the knitting stitch loop 26 to the yarn feedingport 20 is pressed at a contact point 16 a that establishes contact withthe pressing portion 16. When the yarn carrier 21 is moved from thenearer side to the far side while keeping the advance state of theknitting yarn holding portion 13 for end stitches, the knitting yarn 22is turned back by the knitting yarn holding portion 13 for end stitches,and brought in contact with the wall portion 15 at a contact point 15 aand held. The knitting yarn 22 is pulled back to the far side with themovement of the yarn feeding port 20, and fed to the hook 24 a forknitting in the next course. Thus, the process in the knitting end asshown in FIG. 13 of Japanese Patent No. 3044373 can be performed.Furthermore, in this embodiment, the top of the tongue 25 a of thecompound needle 23 is not projected beyond the wall portion 15 of theknitting yarn holding portion 13 for end stitches, and therefore theproblem of yarn entanglement such as a situation where the knitting yarn22 is surmounted on the tongue 25 a of the slider 25 can be prevented.On the side farther than the knitting needle 23 for end stitches, theyarn guide portion 16 of the loop presser portion 14 is engaged with theknitting yarn 22 fed from the yarn feeding port 20 to the knittingneedle 23 for end stitches so as to guide the yarn to the hook 24 a.

As shown in FIG. 1(b), the loop presser portion 14 of the loop presser11 has a shape including the loop pressing portions 17 and 18 forpressing the knitting stitch loop 26 made with the compound needles 23of the front and back needle beds in the lower portion. The looppressing portions 17 and 18 are on a slant face that is substantiallyperpendicular to the moving direction of the compound needle 23advancing from the front and back needle beds, and the yarn guideportion 19 is formed in a recess therebetween. The yarn guide portion 19has a function of reliably guiding the knitting yarn 22 fed from theyarn feeding port 20 to the hook 24 a. The operation and the function ofthe loop presser that has two functions of the loop presser function andthe yarn guiding function are basically the same as those in the looppresser described as a “best mode example” in the paragraphs [0066] to[0089] with reference to FIGS. 15 to 21 in Japanese Patent No. 3044373in which a flat knitting machine using a latch needle is specificallydescribed.

FIG. 2 shows a simplified configuration in longitudinal section of aflat knitting machine using the loop presser 11 of FIG. 1. In the toothmouth 10, at least one pair of front and back needle beds 27 is arrangedlinear-symmetrically with respect to a phantom central line 10 a suchthat the head portions are opposed to each other at an angle. Three ormore needle beds 27 can be provided. In each needle bed 27, a needlegroove for guiding is formed so that the compound needle 23 can advanceto and retract from the tooth mouth 10, and a sinker 28 for supporting aknitting yarn when the compound needle 23 draws the knitting yarn isprovided along the needle groove on a head portion of each needlegroove. An auxiliary bed 29 is provided above at least one of the frontand back needle beds, for example, above the back needle bed, and agroove 30 for guiding the movement with which the loop presser 11advances and retracts its top portion 12 to the tooth mouth 10 isformed. An arrangement pitch of the loop presser 11 corresponds to anarrangement pitch of the compound needle 23 in the needle bed 27.However, these arrangement pitches do not necessarily have to haveone-to-one relation, but the pitch can be such that one loop presser 11corresponds to a plurality of compound needles 23. The compound needle23 and the loop presser 11 are displaced so as to advance to and retractfrom the tooth mouth 10 by a cam mechanism that is mounted on a carriagethat can reciprocate in the longitudinal direction of the needle bed 27,that is, in the direction perpendicular to the sheet surface.

FIG. 3 shows a shape of the loop presser 11. In addition to the knittingyarn holding portion 13 for end stitches and the loop presser portion 14in the top portion 12, as described above, the loop presser 11 has ashape in which a plurality of butts such as a first butt 31, a secondbutt 32 and a third butt 33 are projected upward over a portion from thefront portion to the tooth mouth 10 to a rear portion apart from thetooth mouth 10. An elastic arm 34 that is branched from a front portionextends on a lower side of a middle portion of the loop presser 11. Abase end portion 35 is provided in the rearmost portion of the looppresser 11. The bottom face of the base end portion 35 is flat. As shownin FIG. 3(a), when the loop presser 11 is in a free state in which noexternal force is applied to the loop presser, the elastic arm 34 isopened downward. As shown in FIG. 2, when the loop presser 11 isaccommodated in the groove 30 of the auxiliary bed 29, an upper side ofthe loop presser 11 is in contact with the cam mechanism 36 and metalbands 37 and 38, and the lower side is in contact with the bottom faceof the groove 30, so that the elastic arm 34 is bent by elasticdeformation as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3(b).

As shown in FIG. 2, in the auxiliary bed 29, the rear portion of thegroove 30 is open, and the base end portion 35 of the loop presser 11 isexposed from an open portion when the top portion 12 of the loop presser11 is retreated from the tooth mouth 10. A selecting mechanism 39 forswitching the function of the loop presser 11 utilizing magnetic forceis provided below the open portion of the auxiliary bed 29. The base endportion 35 is urged to be apart from the surface of the selectingmechanism 39 by a resilient force of the elastic arm 34. When the cammechanism 36 presses the third butt 33, the base end portion 35 comesdown against the resilient force of the elastic arm 34, and the surfaceis attracted to the selecting mechanism 39 by the magnetic force. Theselecting mechanism 39 has a permanent magnet and an electromagnet. Whencurrent flows through the electromagnet, an attracting force of thepermanent magnet is cancelled, so that the base end portion 35 attractedby the permanent magnet is released. If current does not flow throughthe electromagnet, the base end portion 35 continues to be attracted inthe range in which the base end portion 35 is in contact with theselecting mechanism 39.

FIG. 4(a) shows a sight-through state of the cam mechanism 36 shown inFIG. 2 in such a manner that the lower side corresponds to a side of thetooth mouth 10. FIG. 4(b) shows a sight-through state of a knitting cammechanism for advancing and retracting the compound needle 23 in such amanner that the upper side corresponds to the side of the tooth mouth10. FIG. 5(a) shows passage loci of the first butt 31, the second butt32, and the third butt 33 of the loop presser 11, and FIG. 5(b) showspassage loci of the compound needles. FIG. 6 shows the difference in theheight of each portion of the cam mechanism 36 from the substrate. InFIGS. 4(a), 5(a) and 6, the hatched portion with parallel horizontallines is an inclined surface. Reference numerals A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H,I, J, K, and L denote the positions referred to in the descriptionbelow, in particular, reference numeral F indicates a central positionand reference numeral G is a yarn feeding position from the yarn feedingport 20. The side of the tooth mouth corresponds to the lower portion ofthe drawings, but the operation of advancing the loop presser 11 to theside of the tooth mouth is referred to as “lifting”, and the operationof retreating it from the side of the tooth mouth is referred to as“lowering”.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the cam mechanism 36 is generally provided with afirst guide cam 41, a second guide cam 42, a third guide cam 43 and afourth guide cam 44. A first cam track 31 a, a second cam track 32 a,and a third cam track 33 a for acting on the first butt 31, the secondbutt 32 and the third butt 33 of the loop presser 11 are formed betweenthe first guide cam 41 and the second guide cam 42, between the secondguide cam 42 and the third guide cam 43, and between the third guide cam43 and the fourth guide cam 44, respectively. Each guide cam isgenerally linear symmetrical in the horizontal direction of FIG. 4(a),and when the carriage travels in a reciprocating movement, the sameaction can be performed.

Hereinafter, the invention will be described, assuming that the carriagein which the cam mechanism 36 is mounted moves from the left to theright of the drawing. The selecting mechanism 39 is provided in threeportions along the third cam track 33 a. The selecting mechanism 39 a onthe leading side and the selecting mechanism 39 b on the trailing sideare provided in a symmetrical positions with respect to the center, andwhen the moving direction becomes opposite so that the carriages movesfrom the right to the left, the selecting mechanism 39 b is on theleading side. A selecting mechanism 39 c is provided in the center, andhas a common function with respect to the reciprocating movement of thecarriage. Along the second cam track 32 a, lowering cams 42 a and 42 bthat are urged by a spring to be projected from the substrate of the cammechanism 36 are provided in symmetrical positions with respect to thecenter. Furthermore, pressing cams 42 c and 42 d that are urged by aspring to the direction away from the tooth mouth 10 are provided insymmetrical positions with respect to the center. Regarding the thirdcam track 33 a, pressing projected portion 43 a, 43 b and 43 c forpressing the third butt 33 of the loop presser 11 so that the base endportion 35 is attracted to the selecting mechanisms 39 a, 39 b and 39 c,respectively, are provided. Furthermore, a projecting/retreating cam 43d whose surface can be projected and retreated from the substrate isprovided in the central portion of the third guide cam 43. The fourthguide cam 44 is provided with lifting cams 44 a and 44 b serving to holda knitting yarn for end stitches that advance the loop presser 11 bybeing engaged with the third butt 33, and lifting cams 44 c and 44 dserving as a loop presser.

FIG. 4(b) shows a schematic configuration of a knitting cam mechanism50. The knitting cam mechanism 50 is constituted by a needle main bodycam lock 51 and a slider operation cam lock 52. The needle main body camlock 51 includes a raising cam 53 having a double hump shape, a pair ofstitch cams 55 and 56 provided on both sides of the raising cam 53 so asto sandwich a butt path 54 for allowing passage of a butt provided inthe needle main body 24 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a bridge cam 57disposed on the side of the tooth mouth 10 of the raising cam 53, and atransfer control cam 58 provided between the two humps of the raisingcam 53. The raising cam 53 and the bridge cam 57 are formed as fixedcams. The stitch cams 55 and 56 can be displaced along a slant face inwhich they are in contact with the bridge cam 57 so that the size of theknitting stitch loop 26 to be knitted can be adjusted. The transfercontrol cam 58 can be switched so as to be projected or retreated. Whenit is projected, the hook 24 a of the needle main body 24 is displacedto the position retracted farther from the tooth mouth 10 than a far endposition of the knit state serving as the basis when knitting isperformed, and a transfer operation in which the knitting stitch loop 26is moved between the opposing needle beds.

The slider operation cam lock 52 includes a transfer control cam 61 thatcan be switched so as to be projected or retreated and fixed sliderguide cams 62, 63, and 64 along a butt path 60 that allows the passageof the butt for advancement. When the transfer control cam 61 isprojected, the tongue 25 a of the slider 25 is advanced farther beyondthe position of the hook 24 a that is retreated as described above tothe side of the opposing needle bed 27, and a transfer operation can beperformed. Such a compound needle 23 is basically the same as thatspecifically described in Japanese Patent No. 3085657.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), the passage locus of each butt of the looppresser 11 when forming knitting stitches while the carriage istraveling to the right direction can be switched between the path shownby a broken line in which the knitting yarn holding portion 13 for endstitches functions, which can be obtained by operating the selectingmechanism 39 a, and the path shown by a solid line in which the looppresser portion 14 functions, which can be obtained by operating theselecting mechanism 39 c. The projecting/retreating cam 43 d of thethird guide cam 43 is set to be in the retreated state in which thesurface is not projected. In the path shown by the broken line for thefunction of holding the knitting yarn for end stitches, in the third camtrack 33 a, the third butt 33 is guided by the lifting cam 44 a in thepositions corresponding to C to D, and the loop presser 11 is lifted tothe side of the tooth mouth 10. Since the projecting/retreating cam 43 dis retreated, the third butt 33 can pass above the projecting/retreatingcam 43 d. In the second cam track 32 a, when the second butt 32surmounts the lowering cam 42 a in the position corresponding to D, thelowering cam 42 a is retreated so as to be in the same height as thepressing cams 42 c and 42 d or the like, so that the second butt 32 issuppressed from going up all the way to the vicinity of the positioncorresponding to I. The pressing cam 42 d keeps its position that issymmetrical with the pressing cam 42 c with respect to the central lineby being urged by a spring, as shown in FIG. 4(a). FIG. 5(a) shows thestate after the second butt 32 moved the position of the pressing cam 42d in the loop presser function as described later. In the third camtrack 33 a, after the position corresponding to I, the lowering cam 42 bacts on the third butt 33 so as to move the loop presser 11 in thedirection away from the tooth mouth 10.

In the path shown by the solid line for the function as the looppresser, the lifting cam 44 d of the fourth guide cam 44 guides thethird butt 33 in the positions corresponding to G to H, and the top ofthe lowering cam 42 b guides the second butt 32 after the positioncorresponding to I so that the loop presser 11 can be advanced fartherto the side of the tooth mouth than the path for serving the function ofholding a knitting yarn for end stitches. When the second butt 32 passesby the position of the pressing cam 42 d, as shown in FIG. 5(a), thepressing cam 42 d, urged by a spring upward in FIG. 5(a), can be moveddownward by the front edge of the second butt 32 so as to obtain apassage.

FIG. 5(b) shows the passage locus when knitting operation is performedwith the compound needle 23 in the knitting cam mechanism 50. When thereleasing operation is not performed either in the selecting mechanism39 a or 39 b, the loop presser 11 does not advance to the tooth mouth 10and stays in a rest position.

As shown in FIG. 6, a difference in the height from the substrate isprovided on the cam surface of the cam mechanism 36. The surface inwhich the density of filling shown by hatching with oblique lines orhalftone dots is high is positioned higher than the substrate surfacethat is blank. However, as described above, the portion hatched withparallel horizontal lines is an inclined surface. The third guide cam 43that is hatched with oblique solid lines descending to the right is thehighest. The fourth guide cam 44 that is hatched with oblique brokenlines descending to the right is lower than the third guide cam 43. Thefirst guide cam 41 that is filled with halftone dots is lower than thefourth guide cam 44. The second guide cam 42, hatched with oblique linesascending to the right in the state where the lowering cams 42 a and 42b are projected, is the second highest after the third guide cam 43, andhigher than the other cams including pressing cams 42 c and 42 d of thesecond guide cam 42. The other cams, such as the pressing cams 42 c and42 d of the second guide cam 42, are equal to the fourth guide cam 44.Regarding the projecting/retreating cam 43 d of the third guide cam 43,the state in which it is projected from the substrate surface, and itsheight from the substrate surface is highest, as the other portions ofthe third guide cam 43. Thus, when the projecting/retreating cam 43 d isprojected, the loop presser 11 that once is lifted can be returned inthe center.

As described above, in the locus for the function of holding a knittingyarn for end stitches, when the second butt 32 is surmounted on thesurface of the lowering cam 42 a from the inclined surface in theposition corresponding to D, the lowering cam 42 a sinks until itsheight becomes equal to the pressing cams 42 c and 42 d or the fourthguide cam 44. The second butt 32 continues to be pressed at the surfaceof the same height such as the pressing cams 42 c and 42 d until itreaches the position corresponding to I. When the second butt 32 reachesthe position corresponding to I, the second butt is in contact with thecam surface of the lowering cam 42 b that is arranged symmetrically withthe lowering cam 42 a. The height in the state where the lowering cam 42b is projected is higher than the pressing cam 42 c or the like, so thatthe second butt 32 in contact with the cam surface is guided along thecam surface and retreated from the tooth mouth side.

FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 show the state in which the looppresser 11 is advanced to the tooth mouth 10 in the positions D, E, F,G, H, I and J shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, respectively. The broken lines showthe state in which the function of holding a knitting yarn for endstitches is served, and the solid lines show the state in which the looppresser function is served. The configuration in the vicinity of thetooth mouth 10 is based on the configuration of FIG. 2, which issimplified in the drawings for convenience. Moreover, the knitting yarnsand knitting stitch loops are omitted, and the positional relationshipin which the top portion of the loop presser 11 is advanced to the toothmouth 10 is mainly shown. FIG. 1(a) corresponds to FIG. 10 at theposition G, and FIG. 1(b) corresponds to FIG. 12 at the position I.Hereinafter, the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2to 13. The loop presser 11 for which the path for serving the functionof holding a knitting yarn for end stitches is selected is referred toas “end LP” for convenience, and the loop presser 11 for which the pathfor serving the loop presser function is selected is referred to as“knit LP” for convenience. The rest position of the end LP and the knitLP is the position in which each butt is in the uppermost position inFIG. 5(a).

Position A (Before Reaching the Knitting Cam)

-   -   End LP rest position    -   knit LP rest position    -   needle rest position.

In this position, the surface to be attracted of the base end portion 35of the loop presser 11 is positioned in the open portion of the rearportion of the auxiliary bed 29. The upper surface of the main portionon the rear side of the second butt 32 is in contact with the metal band38 provided in the auxiliary bed 29 so that the elastic arm 34 iscompressed and deformed and the elastic arm 34 is pressed downward. Thebase end portion 35 of the loop presser 11 is urged by the resilientforce to be projected upward.

Position B (Selecting Mechanism 39 a is Attracted)

-   -   End LP rest position    -   knit LP rest position    -   needle rest position.

The third butt 33 of the loop presser 11 is pressed by the pressingprojecting portion 43 a, which is a presser for the third buttintegrally formed with the fourth guide cam 44. At this time, the firstbutt 31 is in contact with the surface of the first guide cam 41, theloop presser 11 is swung in the counterclockwise direction with thecontact portion of the first butt and the first guide cam 41 as theswinging pivot point and the surface to be attracted of the base endportion 35 is in contact with the attraction surface of the selectingmechanism 39 a provided on the leading side, and attracted.

Position C (After Passing the Leading Selecting Mechanism 39 a)

-   -   End LP a little advanced    -   knit LP rest position    -   needle rest position.

After the position B, the surface to be attracted of the base endportion 35 reaches the magnetic pole portion while being attracted tothe selecting mechanism 39 a, and the base end portion 35 of the end LPwhose attraction is cut off there is swung upward by the resilient forceof the elastic arm 34. Therefore, the third butt 33 is projected fromthe surface of the auxiliary bed 29, and engaged with the lifting camsurface of the lifting cam 44 a of the fourth guide cam 44 so that theloop presser starts to advance to the tooth mouth 10. The loop pressers11 other than the loop presser 11 selected as the end LP move straightin a lateral direction in the state where the base end portion 35 isattracted and held by the attraction surface of the selecting mechanism39 a. When the end LP advances, the contact between the metal band 38and the upper edge of the end LP is cut off, and the first butt 31enters the recess of the first guide cam 41 and is released from thepressing by the cam surface, so that the main portion of the end LP ispushed upward by the resilient force of the elastic arm 34, but the endLP holds its position in the groove 30 while the upper surface of thebase end portion 35 is in contact with the surface of the fourth guidecam 44, and the upper surface of the main portion between the first butt31 and the second butt 32 is in contact with the metal band 37 bypressure.

Position D (First Inclined Surface of the Raising Cam 53)

-   -   End LP advanced position    -   knit LP rest position    -   needle a little advanced.

The third butt 33 of the end LP is guided up to the top portion of thelifting cam surface of the lifting cam 44 a of the fourth guide cam 44,the end of the knitting yarn holding portion 13 for end stitchestraverses the sinker 28 of the opposing needle bed 27 when viewed fromthe side, as shown in FIG. 7, and the gap of the tooth mouth 10 isclosed. The second butt 32 is subjected to its presser function at thepotion of the lowering cam 42 a, which is a projecting/retreating cam(raising cam) for the second butt provided in the rear of the secondguide cam 42. The pressing portion 16 on the lower side of the knittingyarn holding portion 13 for end stitches presses a knitting yarnsuspended from a knitting stitch loop held by the compound needle 23 tothe yarn feeding port 20. The end LP advances up to the position H whilekeeping the posture at the position D.

Position E (the Most Advanced Position of Knitting Needle)

-   -   End LP advanced position    -   knit LP rest position    -   needle the most advanced position (top of the raising cam 53).

As shown in FIG. 8, the hook 24 a and tongue 25 a are lifted to the mostadvanced position. The knitting stitch loop is held in a shoulderportion of the tongue 25 a, and a suspended knitting yarn is pressed bythe pressing portion 16 of the knitting yarn holding portion 13 for endstitches reliably.

Position F (Lower Position at the Bridge Cam 57)

-   -   End LP advanced position    -   knit LP rest position    -   needle as high as the fed yarn.

As shown in FIG. 9, the hook 24 a and tongue 25 a are lowered and thehook 24 a is as high as the fed yarn. The top of the tongue 25 a islimited to be not above the wall portion 15.

Position G (After Passing the Selecting Mechanism 39 c in the MiddleRow)

-   -   End LP advanced position    -   knit LP a little advanced    -   needle as high as the fed yarn.

As shown in FIG. 10, the yarn feeding port 20 passes through. The top ofthe tongue 25 a is hidden by the wall portion 15 of the end LP. The looppressers 11 other than the end LP reaches the magnetic pole portion inthe state where the surface to be attracted of the base end portion 35is attracted to the selecting mechanism 39 c provided in the middle row,and the third butt 33 of the knit LP whose attraction is cut off isprojected from the surface of the auxiliary bed 29, and starts toadvance toward the tooth mouth 10, engaging the cam surface of thelifting cam 44 d of the fourth guide cam 44.

Position H (Root Crossing Portion of the End LP and the Knit LP)

-   -   End LP advanced position    -   knit LP advanced to the middle    -   needle as high as the fed yarn.

As shown in FIG. 11, the knit LP advances to the tooth mouth 10 andstarts to serve as a yarn guide. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the second butt32 presses the pressing cam 42 c from its side and moves it, whichresults in a locus in which it advances into the tooth mouth 10 beyondin the end LP.

Position I

-   -   End LP advanced position    -   knit LP advanced position    -   needle descending.

As shown in FIG. 12, the needle main body 24 starts to descend at thelowering cam surface of the bridge cam 57. The second butt 32 of theknit LP drives away the pressing cam 42 d and is engaged with the topsurface of the lowering cam 42 b that took over so as to be guided tothe cam top portion. A knitting yarn is guided to the advancing andretracting locus of the hook 24 a with the yarn guide portion 19 of theloop presser portion 14. The top of the tongue 25 a is hidden so thatthe knitting yarn extending from the yarn feeding port 20 is notdirectly surmounted on the slider 25 by allowing the end LP to cooperatewith the knit LP, that is, by the wall portion 15 of the end LP, and theknitting yarn above the slider 25 is moved to the advancing andretracting locus of the hook 24 a near the center of the tooth mouth 10by the yarn guide portion 19 in the knit LP while being in contact withthe wall portion 15 of the end LP, so that the knitting yarn can be heldby the needle hook reliably. The knitting stitch loop that is made ispressed by the loop pressing portions 17 and 18 of the knit LP, and thefunction as a loop presser which is the same as the conventional looppresser, can be served.

Position J (Position of an Inclined Surface of the Stitch Cam 56)

-   -   End LP start to descend (the second butt 32 is engaged with the        lowering cam surface of the lifting cam 42 b)    -   knit LP advanced position    -   needle in the process of retracting with the stitch cam (the        slider 25 also is descending).

As shown in FIG. 13, the end LP retreats and releases the knitting yarnheld by the knitting yarn holding portion 13 for end stitches.

Position K (Position of a Flat Portion of the Stitch Cam)

-   -   End LP rest position    -   knit LP start to descend    -   needle height for stitch determination (the third butt 33 is        engaged with the lowering cam surface of the third guide cam        43).        Position L (Position After Passing the Stitch Cam)    -   End LP rest position    -   knit LP rest position    -   needle rest position

FIG. 14 shows a shape of a top portion 72 of a loop presser 71 that isanother embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the portionscorresponding to those of the embodiment of FIG. 1 are denoted by thesame reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be omitted.In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14(a), a recess 77 is formed in apressing portion 76 of a knitting yarn holding portion for end stitches73. Thus, even if a knitting yarn 82 made of multiple yarns in which aplurality of fine yarns 83 are bundled is used, they can be converged onthe recess 77, so that the problem of yarn entanglement can be preventedreliably. As shown in FIG. 14(b), the function at the loop presserportion 14 is the same as that of the loop presser 11 shown in FIG.1(b).

In the embodiments described above, the knitting yarn holding portion 13for end stitches and 73 are formed on the side of the top of the topportion 12 and 72 of the loop presser 11 and 71, and the loop presserportion 14 is formed on the side of the base end. However, The knittingyarn holding portion for end stitches can be positioned on the side ofthe base end. However, when the same loop pressing portions 17 and 18and the yarn guide portion 19 as those of the loop presser portion 14 ofthe embodiments of the invention are formed in the loop presser portion,it is preferable that the knitting yarn holding portion 13 and 73 forend stitches are positioned on the top side, because after the functionsas the end LP as shown in FIGS. 7 to 13 are served, the loop presser canbe easily pulled out from the held knitting stitch loop.

In the flat knitting machine provided with the loop presser of theinvention, the selecting mechanisms 39 a, 39 c and 39 b of the looppresser are provided in the leading, the middle and trailing rows,respectively, with respect to the traveling direction of the carriage.Therefore, for example, in the case of knitting a knitted fabric inwhich there is no need of considering the problem of yarn entanglementof end stitches, a loop presser corresponding to a knitting needle usedfor knitting in the leading selecting mechanism is selected, and theknitting needle advances to the tooth mouth 10, the previous loopstopped by a needle hook is pressed so that the previous loop is notlifted with the advance movement of the needle main body 24 and it isguaranteed that the previous loop is cleared. In this case, theprojecting/retreating cam 43 d is set to the state where it is projectedas shown in FIG. 6. For example, in the case where the knittingoperation to be performed is stitch transfer, the configuration can besuch that the loop presser corresponding to the knitting needle thatperforms stitch transfer traces the same route as that of the end LP ofthe above embodiments. In the case where the knitting operation to beperformed is involved in formation of a knitting stitch, of the looppressers corresponding to the knitting needle used for knitting, oddnumbered loop pressers are allowed to act using the leading selectingmechanism so that previous loops are prevented from being liftedtogether. Then, the remaining even numbered loop pressers are selectedwith the following middle selecting mechanism, so that the knitting yarncan be guided to the hook by the even numbered loop pressers.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription and all changes which come within the meaning and the rangeof equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embracedtherein.

Industrial Application

As described above, according to the invention, the top portion of theloop presser has a loop presser portion serving a function of pressingthe knitting stitch loop by advancing to a tooth mouth of a flatknitting machine and a knitting yarn holding portion for end stitchesserving a function of holding a knitting yarn fed from above the toothmouth in the outside of a knitting end of a knitted fabric in the widthdirection in different positions in the advancing and retractingdirection. Therefore, the portion that acts on the tooth mouth ischanged to obtain a shape for exclusive purpose for each function, sothat each function can be improved.

In addition, the upper side of the knitting yarn holding portion for endstitches can be utilized as a wall portion preventing the knitting yarnfed from the yarn feeding port from approaching a tongue top in a statewhere a needle hook of the compound needle is open by making (1) theloop presser for holding the knitting yarn in the outside of theknitting end of the knitted fabric and (2) another loop presser forpressing the knitting stitch loop knitted by guiding the yarn fed fromthe yarn feeding port to the compound needle for knitting the knittedfabric cooperate. Therefore, when knitting a knitting stitch of aknitting end in the width direction of a knitted fabric, the knittingyarn can be guided in the hook such that the problem of yarnentanglement in which the knitting yarn is surmounted on the tongue ofthe slider and goes outside the hook can be prevented.

According to the invention, the knitting yarn holding portion for endstitches is formed nearer to the top of the advancing and retractingdirection than the loop presser portion. Therefore, the loop presserportion can be larger than the yarn guide portion for end stitches, andthe stiffness can be increased so that the knitting stitch loop can bepressed sufficiently.

According to the invention, the knitting yarn holding portion for endstitches has a recess on which a knitting yarn made of multiple yarnsthat is formed with a bundle of a plurality of fine yarns are convergedon its lower side. Therefore, the knitting yarn made of multiple yarnsis prevented from spreading and a part thereof is prevented fromcontacting the tongue top in the state where the needle hook of thecompound needle is open.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the flat knitting machinecomprises a loop presser including a loop presser portion serving afunction of pressing the knitting stitch loop by advancing to a toothmouth and a knitting yarn holding portion for end stitches serving afunction of holding a knitting yarn fed from above the tooth mouth inthe outside of a knitting end of a knitted fabric in the width directionin different positions in the advancing and retracting direction. Duringknitting a knitted fabric, after a knitting yarn is fed from a yarnfeeding port to the hook of the compound needle, the top portion of theloop presser can be advanced to the tooth mouth with a loop pressermechanism such that the loop presser portion is positioned in the toothmouth. When a knitting end is made and the traveling direction of theyarn feeding port is reversed to start the next course, then the topportion of the loop presser can be advanced to the tooth mouth with theknitting yarn holding mechanism for end stitches such that the knittingyarn holding portion for end stitches of the loop presser is positionedon the side before the compound needle used at first for knitting in thetooth mouth. In the loop presser, the portion that acts on the toothmouth is changed to obtain a shape for the exclusive purpose of eachfunction so that each function can be improved. When the loop presserusing the knitting yarn holding portion for end stitches and the looppresser using the loop presser portion are made to cooperate, even ifthe knitting yarn in the knitting end is held by the knitting yarnholding portion for end stitches and the knitting yarn is guided to thecompound needle used at first in knitting of a next course by the looppresser portion, the tongue top of the slider is hidden by the wallportion on the upper side of the knitting yarn holding portion for endstitches, whereby the problem of yarn entanglement in which the knittingyarn is surmounted on the tongue and goes outside the hook can beprevented.

According to the invention, the auxiliary bed in which the loop presseradvances and retracts is open downward on a base end side of theadvancing and retracting direction, and a selecting mechanism ispositioned below the open portion. The selecting mechanism attracts thebase end side of the loop presser and can release the attractionselectively. The loop presser has a butt projected upward. A cammechanism is provided above the auxiliary bed, and in the cam mechanism,a cam groove that is engaged with the butt and drives the butt to bedisplaced in the advancing and retracting direction is formed. The cammechanism can switch function, either as the loop presser mechanism orthe knitting yarn holding mechanism for end stitches, by selecting thecam groove engaged with the butt by releasing attraction to the base endportion of the loop presser with the selecting mechanism or not. Thus,switching can be performed with a single cam mechanism.

According to the invention, the cam groove of the cam mechanism isformed generally in linear symmetry with respect to a central line, andthe top portion of the loop presser draws the same locus at the time ofknitting on one side of a needle bed as that at the time of knitting onthe other side, and the selecting mechanisms opposed with respect to thecentral line of the cam mechanism also can switch the cam groove in thereciprocal direction.

Furthermore, according to the invention, when knitting a knitted fabricwith a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of needle bedsin the front and the back, knitting can be performed reliably with acompound needle, using a loop presser having a portion serving afunction of pressing a knitting stitch loop by advancing to a toothmouth and a portion serving a function of holding a knitting yarn fedfrom above the tooth mouth in the outside of a knitting end of a knittedfabric in the width direction in different positions in the advancingand retracting direction. After a knitting yarn is fed to the hook ofthe compound needle, the loop presser advances the portion having theloop presser function of pressing a knitting stitch loop on the lowerside to the tooth mouth, and advances the portion serving the knittingyarn holding function for end stitches of holding a knitting yarn fedfrom above the tooth mouth in the outside of the knitting end of theknitted fabric in the width direction, so that the function can beswitched. Therefore, the portion that acts on the tooth mouth can bechanged to obtain a shape for exclusive purpose for each function, sothat each function can be improved.

The upper side of the portion serving the knitting yarn holding functionfor end stitches is utilized as a wall preventing the knitting yarn fedfrom the yarn feeding port from approaching a tongue top in a statewhere a hook of the compound needle is open. Therefore, when knitting aknitting stitch of a knitting end in the width direction of a knittedfabric, the problem of yarn entanglement of end stitches in which theknitting yarn is caught by the top of the tongue and goes outside thehook can be prevented, and the knitting yarn can be guided in the hookreliably.

According to the invention, the portion serving the knitting yarnholding function for end stitches has a recess on which a knitting yarnmade of multiple yarns that is formed with a bundle of a plurality offine yarns on the lower side. Therefore, even if a knitting yarn made ofmultiple yarns is used, the problem of yarn entanglement of end stitchesin which a part of the knitting yarn is in contact with the tongue topin the state where the hook of the compound needle is open and goesoutside the hook can be prevented reliably.

1. A loop presser in a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pairof needle beds including front and back needle beds, the pair of needlebeds forming a tooth mouth, the front and back needle beds being opposedto each other and forming an angle such that top sides are orientedupward, and wherein compound needles are provided in each of the frontand back needle beds as knitting needles, said loop presser having: atop portion capable of advancing and retracting from an auxiliary bedsupported on at least one of the front and back needle beds with respectto the tooth mouth in a process of making a knitting stitch loop from aknitting yarn fed from a yarn feeding port traveling in a longitudinaldirection of the front and back needle beds above the tooth mouth tomake a downwardly suspended knitted fabric, wherein said top portionhas, at different positions in advancing and retracting directions ofsaid loop presser, a loop presser portion operable to guide the knittingyarn fed from the yarn feeding port to one of the knitting needles andpress the knitting stitch loop between the knitting needles on a lowerside, and a knitting yarn holding portion for end stitches operable tohold knitting yarn fed from above the tooth mouth on the outside of aknitting end of a knitted fabric in a width direction; wherein saidknitting yarn holding portion has a pressing portion for pressing theknitting yarn suspended from the knitting stitch loop held by one of thecompound needles in the knitting end to the yarn feeding port movingtoward the outside of the knitted fabric on a lower side, and a wallportion preventing the knitting yarn fed from the yarn feeding portmoving toward the inside of the knitted fabric by reversing the movingdirection to the one of the compound needles in the knitting end fromapproaching a tongue top thereof having a hook open on an upper sidethereof.
 2. The loop presser of claim 1, wherein the knitting yarnholding portion is nearer to an end of said loop presser, with respectto the advancing and retracting direction, than said loop presserportion.
 3. The loop presser of claim 1, wherein said knitting yarnholding portion has a recess on which a knitting yarn, made of multipleyarns that are formed with a bundle of a plurality of fine yarns, canconverge on its lower side.
 4. The loop presser of claim 2, wherein saidknitting yarn holding portion has a recess on which a knitting yarn,made of multiple yarns that are formed with a bundle of a plurality offine yarns, can converge on its lower side.
 5. A flat knitting machinecomprising: the loop presser of claim 1; a loop presser mechanism thatadvances to and retracts from the said portion according to apredetermined locus so as to guide the knitting yarn fed from the yarnfeeding port passing through a position of the compound needle formaking the knitted fabric to a position where the knitting yarn can beheld by a hook of the compound needle and press a knitting stitch loopwhich is knitted by the pressing portion; and a knitting yarn holdingmechanism for end stitches that holds the knitting yarn so as to advancethe knitting yarn holding portion to the tooth mouth on the side beforethe compound needle used at first in knitting a knitted end, reversing atraveling direction of a yarn and starting knitting a next course,wherein after the yarn feeding port passes through the compound needleused at first in knitting, the loop presser mechanism and the knittingyarn holding mechanism cooperate so as to prevent the knitting yarn, fedto the compound needle used at first in knitting by guiding by the looppresser portion of the loop presser that is advanced to and retractedfrom by the loop presser mechanism, from approaching a tongue top in astate where a hook is open by a wall portion on an upper side of saidknitting yarn holding portion of said loop presser that is advanced andretracted by the knitting yarn holding mechanism.
 6. The flat knittingmachine of claim 5, wherein: the auxiliary bed, in which said looppresser advances and retracts, is open downward on a base end side ofthe advancing and retracting direction, said loop presser has a buttprojected upward, and said flat knitting machine further comprises: aselecting mechanism that is opposed to a base end portion of said looppresser below an open portion of the auxiliary bed and can selectivelyattract and release said base end portion; and a cam mechanismselectively functioning as said loop presser mechanism or said knittingyarn holding mechanism, said cam mechanism having a cam groove that isengaged with said butt above the auxiliary bed and drives said butt tobe displaced in the advancing and retracting direction, wherein the cammechanism can switch function either as said loop presser mechanism orsaid knitting yarn holding mechanism by selecting said cam grooveengaged with said butt by releasing attraction to said base end portionof said loop presser with the selecting mechanism or not.
 7. The flatknitting machine of claim 6, wherein said cam groove of said cammechanism has a generally a symmetrical shape with respect to a centralline parallel to the advancing and retracting direction of said looppresser so that said top portion of said loop presser draws the samelocus when knitting on one side of the longitudinal direction of one ofsaid needle beds as when knitting on the other side, and said selectingmechanism is positioned on one side and the other side of the needle bedin positions opposed to the central line of the cam mechanism and thesame distance away from the central line.
 8. A flat knitting machinecomprising: the loop presser of claim 2; a loop presser mechanism thatadvances to and retracts from the said portion according to apredetermined locus so as to guide the knitting yarn fed from the yarnfeeding port passing through a position of the compound needle formaking the knitted fabric to a position where the knitting yarn can beheld by a hook of the compound needle and press a knitting stitch loopwhich is knitted by the pressing portion; and a knitting yarn holdingmechanism for end stitches that holds the knitting yarn so as to advancethe knitting yarn holding portion to the tooth mouth on the side beforethe compound needle used at first in knitting a knitted end, reversing atraveling direction of a yarn and starting knitting a next course,wherein after the yarn feeding port passes through the compound needleused at first in knitting, the loop presser mechanism and the knittingyarn holding mechanism cooperate so as to prevent the knitting yarn, fedto the compound needle used at first in knitting by guiding by the looppresser portion of the loop presser that is advanced to and retractedfrom by the loop presser mechanism, from approaching a tongue top in astate where a hook is open by a wall portion on an upper side of saidknitting yarn holding portion of said loop presser that is advanced andretracted by the knitting yarn holding mechanism.
 9. The flat knittingmachine of claim 8, wherein: the auxiliary bed, in which said looppresser advances and retracts, is open downward on a base end side ofthe advancing and retracting direction, said loop presser has a buttprojected upward, and said flat knitting machine further comprises: aselecting mechanism that is opposed to a base end portion of said looppresser below an open portion of the auxiliary bed and can selectivelyattract and release said base end portion; and a cam mechanismselectively functioning as said loop presser mechanism or said knittingyarn holding mechanism, said cam mechanism having a cam groove that isengaged with said butt above the auxiliary bed and drives said butt tobe displaced in the advancing and retracting direction, wherein the cammechanism can switch function either as said loop presser mechanism orsaid knitting yarn holding mechanism by selecting said cam grooveengaged with said butt by releasing attraction to said base end portionof said loop presser with the selecting mechanism or not.
 10. The flatknitting machine of claim 9, wherein said cam groove of said cammechanism has a generally a symmetrical shape with respect to a centralline parallel to the advancing and retracting direction of said looppresser so that said top portion of said loop presser draws the samelocus when knitting on one side of the longitudinal direction of one ofsaid needle beds as when knitting on the other side, and said selectingmechanism is positioned on one side and the other side of the needle bedin positions opposed to the central line of the cam mechanism and thesame distance away from the central line.
 11. A flat knitting machinecomprising: the loop presser of claim 3; a loop presser mechanism thatadvances to and retracts from the said portion according to apredetermined locus so as to guide the knitting yarn fed from the yarnfeeding port passing through a position of the compound needle formaking the knitted fabric to a position where the knitting yarn can beheld by a hook of the compound needle and press a knitting stitch loopwhich is knitted by the pressing portion; and a knitting yarn holdingmechanism for end stitches that holds the knitting yarn so as to advancethe knitting yarn holding portion to the tooth mouth on the side beforethe compound needle used at first in knitting a knitted end, reversing atraveling direction of a yarn and starting knitting a next course,wherein after the yarn feeding port passes through the compound needleused at first in knitting, the loop presser mechanism and the knittingyarn holding mechanism cooperate so as to prevent the knitting yarn, fedto the compound needle used at first in knitting by guiding by the looppresser portion of the loop presser that is advanced to and retractedfrom by the loop presser mechanism, from approaching a tongue top in astate where a hook is open by a wall portion on an upper side of saidknitting yarn holding portion of said loop presser that is advanced andretracted by the knitting yarn holding mechanism.
 12. The flat knittingmachine of claim 11, wherein: the auxiliary bed, in which said looppresser advances and retracts, is open downward on a base end side ofthe advancing and retracting direction, said loop presser has a buttprojected upward, and said flat knitting machine further comprises: aselecting mechanism that is opposed to a base end portion of said looppresser below an open portion of the auxiliary bed and can selectivelyattract and release said base end portion; and a cam mechanismselectively functioning as said loop presser mechanism or said knittingyarn holding mechanism, said cam mechanism having a cam groove that isengaged with said butt above the auxiliary bed and drives said butt tobe displaced in the advancing and retracting direction, wherein the cammechanism can switch function either as said loop presser mechanism orsaid knitting yarn holding mechanism by selecting said cam grooveengaged with said butt by releasing attraction to said base end portionof said loop presser with the selecting mechanism or not.
 13. The flatknitting machine of claim 12, wherein said cam groove of said cammechanism has a generally a symmetrical shape with respect to a centralline parallel to the advancing and retracting direction of said looppresser so that said top portion of said loop presser draws the samelocus when knitting on one side of the longitudinal direction of one ofsaid needle beds as when knitting on the other side, and said selectingmechanism is positioned on one side and the other side of the needle bedin positions opposed to the central line of the cam mechanism and thesame distance away from the central line.
 14. A method for making aknitted fabric using a loop presser in a flat knitting machinecomprising at least a pair of needle beds including front and backneedle beds, the pair of needle beds forming a tooth mouth, the frontand back needle beds being opposed to each other and forming an anglesuch that top sides are oriented upward, and wherein compound needlesare provided in each of the front and back needle beds as knittingneedles, said loop presser having a top portion capable of advancing andretracting from an auxiliary bed supported on at least one of the frontand back needle beds with respect to the tooth mouth in a process ofmaking a knitting stitch loop from a knitting yarn fed from a yarnfeeding port traveling in a longitudinal direction of the front and backneedle beds above the tooth mouth to make a downwardly suspended knittedfabric, said method comprising: forming, in the top portion of the looppresser, at different positions in the advancing and retractingdirection, a portion operable to guide the knitting yarn fed from theyarn feeding port to a position where the knitting yarn can be held by ahook of one of the compound needles and press the knitting stitch loopbetween the knitting needles on a lower side, and a portion operable tohold knitting yarn for end stitches fed from above the tooth mouth onthe outside of a knitting end of the knitted fabric in a width directionthereof; switching the loop presser between being operable to press theknitting stitch loop and being operable to hold the knitting yarn byswitching a position to which the top portion of the loop presser isadvanced to the tooth mouth; making the knitting yarn hold so as toadvance the portion operable to hold the knitting yarn in the topportion of the loop presser to the tooth mouth on the side before thecompound needle used at first in knitting in knitting a knitted end,reversing a traveling direction of a yarn and starting knitting a nextcourse, pressing the knitting yarn suspended from the compound needle inwhich the knitting end is knitted to the yarn feeding port on the lowerside of the portion operable to hold knitting yarn until the yarnfeeding port passes through a position of the compound needle, andfeeding the knitting yarn to the compound needle used at first inknitting from the upper side of the portion operable to hold knittingyarn; and after the yarn feeding port passes through the compound needleused at first in knitting, making the loop presser cooperate so as toadvance another loop presser to the tooth mouth and preventing theknitting yarn fed to the compound needle used at first in knitting byguiding with the portion serving the loop presser function fromapproaching a tongue top in a state where a hook is open with an upperside of the loop presser that advances the portion operable to holdknitting yarn to the tooth mouth serving as a wall.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the portion operable to hold knitting yarn has arecess on the lower side in a state where the portion operable to pressthe knitting stitch loop advances to the tooth mouth, and knitting isperformed while converging a knitting yarn made of multiple yarns thatare formed with a bundle of a plurality of fine yarns on the recess.